Penn State strengthens water education network

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As questions about water quality grow more complex across Pennsylvania, Penn State is working to strengthen how research connects with communities.

“The Confluence: Water Research and Extension In-Service Day” recently brought together researchers and Penn State Extension educators to learn, plan and network.

“The event grew out of a need to better understand the different sides of the University to create a more integrated research-extension-outreach network around water,” said Heather Preisendanz, professor of agricultural and biological engineering and director of the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science (SAFES). “Water is in every college at this University. It touches every county.”

The event gathered water researchers and extension educators from across the state for a day of discussion and collaboration. Organizers described it as an effort to make connections that do not always happen naturally.

“When you’re in an extension role, especially at a county office, it can be difficult to navigate the research infrastructure at University Park,” Preisendanz said. “And when you’re a researcher trying to understand how to work with Extension, it can be difficult to engage if you’re not familiar with how Extension is structured.”

Participants worked in breakout sessions organized around six extension water subteams, including drinking water, ponds, stream health, youth education, urban stormwater and agricultural water. The structure helped researchers identify where their work fits and gave educators clearer points of contact.

“The goal of the event was to bring Penn State water researchers and educators together for a day of learning, brainstorming and active networking,” said Tyler Groh, assistant research professor and watershed management extension specialist and the event’s lead organizer. “Both sides are incredibly busy in their respective roles, so there are limited opportunities to learn and grow together as a Penn State water community.”

The event also highlighted uneven connections. Some areas, such as stream health and agricultural water, showed strong engagement between research and extension. Others, including ponds and drinking water, revealed fewer links and opportunities to build new partnerships.

Groh said one idea that stood out combined youth education with artificial intelligence to help detect aquatic invasive species in private ponds.

The format was designed to keep people engaged. Organizers shared background materials in advance so the event could focus on discussion rather than presentations.

“We didn’t want this to become ‘death by PowerPoint,’” Preisendanz said.

That approach appeared to resonate, she said.

“Everybody was engaged and paying attention, with very few side distractions,” she said. “To me, that’s a sign that people are happy to be there.”

The discussions also surfaced emerging issues.

“There is no shortage of water challenges at any given time,” Groh said

The event brought researchers and extension staff into the same space to share knowledge.

“That network and direct insight into what’s happening on the ground across the state are invaluable,” said Lauren McPhillips, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, who helped develop the idea for the Confluence event with Groh through their role as co-chairs of the Penn State Water Council. She said the event created opportunities to better connect research with community needs, including work related to stormwater and winter de-icers.

McPhillips also noted the broader importance of collaboration.

“We all depend on water in so many ways,” she said. “We’re lucky here in Pennsylvania to have plentiful, often high-quality water resources. But it takes work to keep it that way.”

Faith Kibuye, water resources extension specialist and affiliate faculty in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, secured funding through an Environmental Education Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to support travel and participation for stakeholders across the state.

The event also was supported in part by SAFES, which focuses on linking research, Extension and outreach, and covered food-related expenses.

Groh said early feedback suggests the approach is already sparking ideas and connections.

“An extension educator came up to me during the event and said they had already come up with two new ideas for their programming,” he said. “My hope is that both Penn State water researchers and extension educators met someone new they would want to work with in the next couple of years. By the conversations I’ve had, and by the number of people who have exchanged phone numbers and emails, I think this dream of mine came true.”

He added that the event was a team effort involving several planning members, including Preisendanz; Femeena Pandara Valappil, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering; Dana Flowers, extension educator with the Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training; Aaron Cook, research project manager in the College of Agricultural Sciences; Kaiyi Chan, administrative support assistant for the Office of Research and Graduate Education; and Mary Katelyn Di Fresco, administrative assistant for research initiatives and the Agricultural Experiment Station.

Kibuye said support from SAFES has been especially meaningful for the extension water team, noting that it provides “a home” for work that connects research and Extension.